Raphael Finkel
Encyclopedia
Raphael Finkel is an American computer scientist
and a professor at the University of Kentucky
. He compiled the first version of the Jargon File
. He is the author of An Operating Systems Vade Mecum, a textbook on operating system
s, and Advanced Programming Language Design, an introductory book on programming paradigm
s. Raphael Finkel and J.L. Bentley created the data structure called the quadtree
.
. He entered the University of Chicago
, where he earned his BA
in mathematics
and MA
in teaching
. He then earned a PhD
at Stanford University
under the supervision of Vinton Cerf.
Finkel obtained a position at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
after completing his doctorate, and remained there from 1976 until 1987, when he took a position at the University of Kentucky.
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and a professor at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
. He compiled the first version of the Jargon File
Jargon File
The Jargon File is a glossary of computer programmer slang. The original Jargon File was a collection of terms from technical cultures such as the MIT AI Lab, the Stanford AI Lab and others of the old ARPANET AI/LISP/PDP-10 communities, including Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Carnegie Mellon...
. He is the author of An Operating Systems Vade Mecum, a textbook on operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s, and Advanced Programming Language Design, an introductory book on programming paradigm
Programming paradigm
A programming paradigm is a fundamental style of computer programming. Paradigms differ in the concepts and abstractions used to represent the elements of a program and the steps that compose a computation A programming paradigm is a fundamental style of computer programming. (Compare with a...
s. Raphael Finkel and J.L. Bentley created the data structure called the quadtree
Quadtree
A quadtree is a tree data structure in which each internal node has exactly four children. Quadtrees are most often used to partition a two dimensional space by recursively subdividing it into four quadrants or regions. The regions may be square or rectangular, or may have arbitrary shapes. This...
.
Biography
Finkel was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He entered the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he earned his BA
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and MA
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in teaching
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. He then earned a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
under the supervision of Vinton Cerf.
Finkel obtained a position at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
after completing his doctorate, and remained there from 1976 until 1987, when he took a position at the University of Kentucky.
External links
- Homepage at the University of Kentucky
- ftp://ftp.cs.uky.edu/cs/manuscripts/vade.mecum.2.pdf - An Operating Systems Vade Mecum
- ftp://ftp.aw.com/cseng/authors/finkel/apld/ - Advanced Programming Language Design
- http://goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au/~santhas/research/paper1/node4.html
- Academic genealogy of Raphael Finkel
- Seminar notice including biography